Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has stated that President Donald Trump’s views on gender in sports do not intimidate her, and she remains focused on defending her gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics.
Khelif, who was at the center of a heated debate over gender eligibility during the Paris Olympics, was asked about Trump’s policies during an interview with British broadcaster ITV, set to air on Wednesday.
“I will give you a straightforward answer: the U.S. president issued a decision related to transgender policies in America. I am not transgender. This does not concern me, and it does not intimidate me. That is my response,” Khelif said in excerpts released ahead of the interview.
When asked about her goal of winning another gold medal in the 2028 Summer Games, Khelif responded, “Second gold medal, of course, in America, Los Angeles.”
Last month, Trump signed an executive order aimed at banning transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
On Tuesday, a federal judge issued a ruling that blocked the enforcement of another Trump executive order, which sought to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military.
Trump has repeatedly referred to Khelif and fellow female boxing gold medalist Lin Yu-ting as men, despite the International Olympic Committee consistently supporting both athletes.
“These two women boxers were born women, raised as women, and have competed as women. No one has ever claimed they are transgender,” IOC President Thomas Bach stated in a recent interview.
Both Khelif and Lin were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships organized by the Russian-backed International Boxing Association, which claimed they failed eligibility tests.
Bach explained, “What happened was a Russian-led misinformation campaign that distorted the facts, and now these two athletes are being wrongly considered transgender. But they are not.”
Khelif progressed through the Olympic Games amid intense international scrutiny and speculation about her gender.
“I see myself as a girl, just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one,” Khelif explained in an interview with ITV. “I have competed in many tournaments, including the Tokyo Olympics and other major events, as well as four World Championships. All of these happened before I started winning and earning titles. But as soon as I began to succeed, the campaigns against me started.”
